Dear Mommies,
I forgot.
I forgot how hard being a mom to young kids is. It’s been more years than I care to remember since my own kids were little and there’s so much of that period in my life that I had forgotten.
My grandkids come over often for parties and short visits. But, this week, two of them came over with their mom and stayed for a few days. This gave me an eye-opening glimpse back into the 24/7 nature of mothering “littles”.
One of the mornings, after breakfast was made and eaten (and sticky faces and spills cleaned), we played “Spa” which meant getting out all my nail polish and painting little fingernails. Then, a pretend shopping trip happened and my granddaughter ran around grabbing things from different rooms and having her brother check her out on his play cash register. After that, a ramp was built for drag races and of course all the cars in the house had to be tried out. Then, faces were drawn on paper so they could be decorated with play make-up. Trains chugged through the living room, books were read and play-doh was excavated by construction vehicles on the dining room table. I was exhausted, the house was a mess, and I was pretty sure it was nap-time (mine!). But, when I looked at the clock, it was only 10:00 am!
Seriously?! Ten Stinkin’ O’Clock?
The rest of the day, I watched my daughter handle discipline issues, sibling rivalry, food battles, tantrums, spills, potty-training, laundry and bath time. After a very full day of all that, she took off to work her evening shift where she logs in over ten miles of running each night (a pedometer once showed her). She got home around one in the morning, took a shower, and tried to relax enough to go to sleep. The kids woke up before seven and her day started all over again.
I’d forgotten those days. The endless demands. The cleaning of one mess after another. The worry, the full calendars, the never-ending fatigue.
Having a window into my daughter’s world reminded me of all that and how very glad I am that those days are over for me.
For all you moms of young children, I know there are uncountable days when you’re weary beyond measure. But, you’re doing the single most important job in the world: raising up the next generation. What you do matters, to all of us.
There will be time for rest later. And, all the work you are putting in now, will pay off in the end. I promise.
I can rest now knowing my kids turned into adults I respect and admire. It is their turn now to lay the foundation for their own families.
I’ll be over here napping.
